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From the editorial advisory board

Posted:
04/13/2013 01:00:00 AM MDT

Public transportation projects move slowly, but quickly spark debate. A recently released study focused on the “first and final mile” obstacle of public transit — that short but often critical distance between someone's home or destination and the bus stop or train station. Strategies suggested were overnight bike parking, car sharing programs and more. What do you think solutions for our region should include?

Privatization of US 36 that was announced this week should have been done 10 years ago. If it had been privatized we might have had excellent commuter train service running between Denver, Boulder and Longmont similar to the other FasTracks train lines (that have private-public funding) currently under construction by RTD. Now the question is raised what to do about the "First and Final Mile" to transit stops. That should have been designed and budgeted in the whole BRT and rail package.

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Here is a list of possible remedies to close the "last mile gap." RTD Board of Directors meetings should be televised so we know how and where our Boulder Turnpike train-BRT $4.7 billion was spent. Transparency builds confidence. Second, SOVs using Park-n-Ride lots should be charged increased parking fees to subsidize non-drivers. At the same time commuters who arrive at these lots by bike or carpool or by walking (the last mile) could punch in at an automatic ticket device and receive a discounted bus ticket. If you are a frequent non-auto commuter your bus ride should be free. We are a market-driven society and we respond when there are financial rewards. Stanford University pays people not to drive to campus.

Other steps could be to advertise greenhouse gas tonnages caused by driving the "last mile" and to erect banners or posters showing famous county citizens, or CU athletes who access the bus stops without car use.

The first recommendation of the "first and final mile" study was to provide overnight bike shelters. Really? I doubt that this would result in a significant increase in public transit commuting. The focus must be on the general public; not bike riders.

Time is money. For many of us, time is even more precious than money because time lost cannot be replaced. We must create a system whereby the total time spent on the commute via public transit does not meaningfully exceed the total time spent by using our own cars.

To be viable, the system must enable people to quickly and easily get from their homes to the mass transit stations. Throughout Asia, where I have spent considerable time, there are systems of mini-buses ("songteows" in Thailand and "bechaks" in Indonesia) traveling frequently along numerous routes, so that riders need never walk more than a few blocks nor wait more than a few minutes for the next one. That sort of system employed here would help to make public transit attractive to more than just bike riders. Private ownership of routes, or at least individual vehicles, perhaps in the form of municipal-granted concessions, with minimal regulatory requirements and government oversight, would be a great first step in the development of a viable system.

Clearly, the RTD must commission a study group to travel to Asia to see how this works. I'm available and would be happy to volunteer my time.

First and Final Mile (FFM) questions are critical in getting people to use mass transit, so I applaud those who commissioned this study. When I worked in Belgium several years ago, I chose to live in the hip college town of Leuven and commute to the more industrial town of Mechelen. Even with access to a company-provided a rental car, I found the convenience of shuttling with bikes in each town (and using the train between the towns) far outweighed the pain and stress of sitting in traffic on that congested corridor. I was even able to keep my business clothes presentable in Belgium's climate by using appropriate rain gear.

I live 1.2 miles from Table Mesa Park-n-Ride, so was disappointed that the FFM EcoPass recommendation would only apply to residents within a mile of the station. As a non-commuter, I've yearned for an EcoPass accommodation for those who take a few dozen trips to DIA and Denver annually and hop on local busses when it makes sense. I would urge RTD to look beyond this arbitrary 1-mile buffer, and find ways expand EcoPass availability to everyone who wants to support mass transit.

In the absence of an EcoPass, cash-paying customers are currently inconvenienced by exact-change requirements. Hopefully the MyRide smart card solution planned for later this year will solve this problem by allowing us to obtain a card from an outlet once, and manage our fare purchases online.

Today's modern society expects efficient, affordable and swift transportation of people and goods. Therefore, when any of the transportation components breaks down, it becomes a serious problem for the affected people and they become riled up.

However, with proper planning and execution, a number of things can be done to mitigate such problems.

Congestion, one major problem, can be alleviated in the following ways:

Accident Management - Accidents and mechanical failures should be removed from the road as soon as possible. Studies indicate that they cause 20 percent to 30 percent of all congestion.

Traffic Signal Synchronization - Signals should be controlled hourly to reflect the time, direction of traffic and changes in commuting patterns.

Carpooling I - Two or more vehicle trips should be combined. The problem here is organizing people with similar origins, destinations and commuting times.

Non-motorized Modes - Most urban trips are for short distances. The use of bicycles and walking should be encouraged.

Congestion Pricing (Tolls) - This is the least popular option. No one likes to pay "tolls." Their use will encourage drivers to consider times when the price is lower and use other modes of transportation.

Transit supporters seek to solve the "first and final mile problem." But I think they are missing another, equally important, pair of problems. I call them the "first and final time" problems. That is, people who have never taken a bus, and people who have had one bad experience and never taken the bus again. I talk to people time and again who won't take the bus because: It is such a hassle (it isn't), the schedules are hard to handle and read (they are), the RTD website is clunky (it is improved), the drivers are rude (they usually aren't), and the busses are gross (they aren't), the busses don't run often enough (depends on the bus and time of day), they are never on schedule (not my experience), or they are too expensive (not true either.)

Many of these non-riders have actually never taken an RTD bus. They don't know the routes, or where to catch them, or when, or which side of the street to use. The first time is scary. It is like anything new. You have to invest some anxious time just to get started. Then you get the hang of it. The last-timers have had one bad experience and given up.

In either case, RTD needs some kind of bus therapist or bus-buddy program to provide hands-on training for first-timers and to help angry last-timers deal with their issues. This would boost ridership at small cost.

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